Zechariah 13:3

3 If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: You cannot remain alive because you have spoken falsely in the name of the Lord. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.^[a]

Zechariah 13:3 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 13:3

And it shall come to pass, [that] when any shall yet
prophesy
Or attempt to prophesy, or propagate their idolatrous religion and principles after this time, when they shall be abundantly detected and exposed: then his father and his mother that begat him;
of whom he is born, and who, as his parents, must be supposed to have the most tender regard unto him, even to these the imposture will be so flagrant, that they will not encourage him, but, on the contrary, shall say unto him, Thou shall not live;
but die, according to the law against the false prophet in ( Deuteronomy 18:20 ) : for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord;
which is the very character of the followers of the man of sin, who speak lies in hypocrisy, pretending that they are of God, and carrying a show of truth; religion, and holiness, ( 1 Timothy 4:1 1 Timothy 4:2 ) : and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him
through when he prophesieth;
so great will be their love to God, and to his truth, that, notwithstanding the nearness of blood, their hands will be upon him first, and either beat him, or put him to death; a son, according to the law, not being to be spared in such a case, ( Deuteronomy 13:6-10 ) .

Zechariah 13:3 In-Context

1 "On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, [to wash away] sin and impurity.

2 On that day"-the declaration of the Lord of Hosts-"I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.

3 If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: You cannot remain alive because you have spoken falsely in the name of the Lord. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through.

4 On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.

5 He will say: I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the soil, for a man purchased me as a servant since my youth.

Footnotes

• [a]. Dt 13:5; 18:20; Jr 14:14